Usages

Sheila has joined the Sierra Club. Sheila joined the Sierra Club. The use of the present perfect has more to do with our present perspective on the event rather than on the actual time at which it took place.

The simple past tense occurs with specific past-time adverbials. The core meaning of the past tense is remoteness. The use of specific past-time adverbials (e.g., yesterday, last year, 1990) makes the past tense obligatory. The use of certain more general temporal adverbials is commonly associated with the perfect (e.g., already, since, yet).

Organise the phrases in the next slide into three columns headed used with simple past, used with present perfect and used with either.

Up to now

In the last century

During Kennedys lifetime

Over the last Three months hundred years or For three months ago so Since three This is the first Recently months ago time I Throughout the Since the Lately 17th century Vietnam War Within the last After the Second Today three months World War

In the last century during Kennedys lifetime Three months ago Throughout the 17th century

Up to now Over the last hundred years or so Since three months ago This is the first time I Lately Since the Vietnam War Within the last three months

For three months Recently Today After the Second World War

Even if a past-time adverbial isnt explicit, the remoteness may be defined elsewhere in the context or simply implied:
John Lennon was a creative genius.

The past tense is used for a completed historical period versus an incomplete one:
My father lived here all his life. My father has lived here all his life.

The function of the present perfect is to change the nature of the relationship between the subject and predicate it emphasizes the predicated events result.
Ive been to Japan twice already, but I still

dont speak much Japanese.

Past simple is used by speakers to talk about past events which are, or which they regard as, finalised, or over and done with. Present perfect is used by speakers to talk about events which are still current, or which they want to highlight as being incomplete or still relevant.